Carol Swinson and her dog Bear spend time together near her home in Brentwood. Bear woke Swinson up, alerting her of a home fire. "This dog saved my life," Swinson said. (July 17, 2013) Read the story. Photo Credit: Chris Ware

Carol Swinson and her dog Bear spend time together near her home in Brentwood. Bear woke Swinson up, alerting her of a home fire. "This dog saved my life," Swinson said. (July 17, 2013) Read the story.(Credit: Chris Ware)

Awakened before sunrise, Carolyn Swinson was surprised to find Bear, her newly adopted 145-pound dog, jumping on her bed and panting in her face.

The Brentwood woman pushed her hulking pet away. As the excited dog ran around the bedroom, she walked to the window, drawn by a strange orange glow. Then she felt searing heat.

Minutes later, Swinson, 58, and her 9-year-old grandson, D.J., were on the sidewalk, happy to be alive. Thanks to Bear's alert, they escaped a fire that charred her home early Wednesday.

While the cause of the 5:27 a.m. blaze remains under investigation, Swinson believes it was sparked by faulty wiring connected to a pool filter. The fire wound up spreading to the second floor, where her bedroom is.

"He was meant for me," Swinson said of her dog. "He saved my life."

Swinson adopted Bear from the Islip Animal Shelter two weeks ago to replace her previous dog, a 14-year-old Rottweiler who suffered a seizure during superstorm Sandy and had to be euthanized.

Brentwood Fire Department crews had the blaze under control by 6:04 a.m., said Rob Kuehn, inspector for the fire district. Swinson's home of 25 years suffered extensive damage from fire, smoke and water.